Sunday, September 14, 2008

Another Palin rant

Charles Gibson interviewed Sarah Palin in her hometown in Wasilla, Alaska in a quasi-journalistic way. He asked her tough questions alright, but not enough follow up ones. There wasn't the journalistic bite as we would have seen from Helen Thomas, or our very own Karan Thapar or Prabhu Chawla.

Without taking the spotlight away from the huge liberties against logic this woman takes, I would like to focus on one particular set of words she spoke. When asked whether a mother of five can be an effective VP or Prez, she answered yes unequivocally and attempted to substantiate it by saying,

"What people have asked me when I was -- when I learned I was pregnant, "Gosh, how are you going to be the governor and have a baby in office, too," and I replied back then, as I would today, "I'll do it the same way the other governors have done it when they've either had baby in office or raised a family." Granted, they're men, but do it the same way that they do it."

Why are the women not outraged? This woman clearly is implying the male and female experience of having a baby. Tell that to all the women who fret and fume that the male contribution to their children's birth is an orgasm and forgetting to use contraception.

I may be viewed as sexist for raising this topic, but I am worried. A woman can surely be qualified for the highest office, but going through pregnancy and childbirth while the 3am phone call is anticipated is a scary proposition. We need to get an assurance from Gov Palin that she is done breeding before we even consider her for high office.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well you can't blame her! American political system is fraught with Dubya's kin! Stupidity is a fundamental right they exercise with utmost tenacity! Once Charlie Crist, the currnet governor of FL, was quoted to have said that he wanted to "uproot abortions"! Go figure!

avalok ishwar said...

.. a friendly reminder .. the view that "she has to give assurance before ".. I think crosses the line. The outrage, placed correctly, should be in suggesting that the experience of a male parent and a female parent is the same while in a demanding job. On the other hand, countless senior corporate executives are able to manage (with superpowers) work and life. She is unqualified to be the VP not because of her gender, or her reproductive status. She is unqualified, for the same reason, I am not the CEO of Microsoft or the Head of Neurosurgery at Harvard. That it is Ok to have someone folksy at the VP or President job (Palin, GW) is a cynical view held by the Republican party. To claim that Palin is as qualified Obama is playing on that travesty of logic.
Palin is a distraction ! I like Obama's strategy of attacking McCain's integrity (which he seems to have mis-placed recently), and lack of new ideas. More of the SAME !!!

Liberal said...

@Laksh
Point taken regarding the assurance thing...senior corporate execs who have managed hard jobs with child-bearing and child-rearing cannot be used to imply that the same can be done by a prezident...also she should be done breeding simply to thin the herd of her level of stupidity...personally I think it is treason to nominate a person you know is unqualified...it is treason to accept the nomination when you know you are unqualified...and it is treason to be so cynical that you support her as party members even when you think she is a dumb choice

avalok ishwar said...

Well, Richard Cohen (a big McCain fan) seems to share your view that McCain's picking Sarah Palin as his heir, "is an act of personal treason.."

"..His opportunistic and irresponsible choice of Sarah Palin as his political heir -- the person in whose hands he would leave the country -- is a form of personal treason, a betrayal of all he once stood for. Palin, no matter what her other attributes, is shockingly unprepared to become president. McCain knows that. He means to win, which is all right; he means to win at all costs, which is not..."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/15/AR2008091502406.html

rambuna said...

Palin is definitely the wrong choice but McCain needed her to pull attention. Though, i felt McCain may become Prez but the past of 8 years of ruin by dubya..was too empowering over his credentials. They ( US electorate) wanted a CHANGE! McCain could not do anything about it..he was in the wrong party..yes, he got screwed by dubya. hillary could not..because she was "she" !!